To impose or not to impose, that is the question. Whether it is more beneficial to let people decide to be responsible for their environment and surroundings or to force it upon them by taking drastic measures that affect the entire population directly.
It is a difficult question to answer, whether or not I am opposed to the removal of trays from our dining facilities. Yes, it saves water and waste – but at what cost? Are the benefits gained in the long run worth the sacrifice now? I cannot say that I know just how polluted the environment actually is, and how much my everyday actions, whether I am conscious of it or not, affect the environment around me.
My family raised me under the impression that preserving the earth’s energy is the good and right thing to do, but not at the expense of the modern conveniences that allow me to stay productive, healthy, and happy. If I need to see, the room light is turned on (yes, I turn it off when I leave). If I need to write, I use whatever paper is necessary (yes, it’s double sided). If it is unbearably hot outside, the air-conditioner is on (yes, I turn it off at night). If I need a tray to carry my plate, cup, utensils, and soup, then I use a tray. But surely, it would not be that much of an inconvenience to make several trips to carry these things. So this is where I am torn, as is arguable with almost all modern conveniences – are these things, in fact, a necessary convenience, or merely a reflection of our laziness?
People are inherently lazy. Period. I am too. But in my opinion, if raised properly, people learn how to be responsible and overcome that laziness in order to do what is right. Recently, I was at a large pizza lunch in Zoellner. There were 15 pizzas, 8 containers of soda, 50 hungry people, and only one small wastebasket next to the door. Fess up, we’ve all done it – squish, balance, and contort our paper plates and cups until the recepticle is overflowing because we are too lazy, too busy, or too ignorant to dispose of them in another trash can; then it becomes someone else’s problem. I made a bold decision that day – if the people wouldn’t go to another trash can, I’d bring another trash can to them. I found a much bigger trash can in the hallway of Zoellner and personally brought it into the room before the wastebasket started overflowing. After the crowd started dwindling down, I began to clean up the boxes of pizza and wipe down the tables. One of the freshmen asked me why I was wiping down the table, and I told her – because WE, the organization of 50 people having this lunch, were responsible for the mess , therefore it was OUR obligation to clean it up – a simple lesson I learned a long time ago from “Barney & Friends.” I asked her to help dry. She informed me that there was no point. “How do you know someone else isn’t just going to clean them later? In that case, you’re just wasting your time.” I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
I ask myself, in this age of globalization, how can we expect people who are not respectful of their local environment to be respectful of their global environment? We are quick to think of things on large scales, passing legislature on chemical waste reduction and car-exhaust regulations and the like; so willing to throw funding at alternative sources of energy. We are quick to hold events to help our “global” environment and “global” neighbors in far away countries, but what about our local environment and our local neighbors who we encounter everyday? How many people pick up a loose piece of paper on the floor and place it in the recycle bin? How many people shovel the snow off the sidewalk in front of their house after the first snowfall? How many people help the freshman who doesn’t know where his class is? Or do we just walk by, and let the frustrations of life get the better of us – “Someone else will do it; I don’t have the time.” I myself am guilty of this.
In high school, my classmates and I frequently debated whether or not service hours should be required of students. Some students cited the Bible – saying that acts without love are empty, and that a lack of dedication and enthusiasm among students being forced to participate would lead to a less dedicated, less enthusiastic service ministry. Others argued that if students were forced to do community service as a graduation requirement, more students would discover the satisfaction that comes from serving others. I see merits in both of these arguments. I’m torn.
As I am with trays! I believe that it is important to understand the reasons why tray use needs to be limited, and I certainly don’t believe in wasted food and resources. The lack of trays will certainly discourage students from taking as much food, but in turn, it seems that we are also discouraging students from EATING as much. Yes, as a campus we should make efforts to consume less, but there are individuals who I believe should first make it a priority to CONSUME MORE! Food is not a convenience – IT IS A NECESSITY. And, let’s recall, I am inherently lazy. I have a medical condition that puts my appetite off, even when I desperately need the nutrients. When my appetite is off, I don’t feel hungry. When I’m not hungry, I’m not going to make a bunch of extra trips and wait in long serving lines to get food, and I refuse to look like an idiot trying to balance a bunch of loose things in my arms in one trip. So, I’m seriously contemplating just buying myself a tray – it is that much of a convenience.
